Sethi gets vote of confidence from PCB’s general body

Karachi: The General Body of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unanimously given chairman Najam Sethi unqualified vote of confidence during the Annual General Meeting held in Lahore on Tuesday.

According to the PCB, vote of confidence resolution by the regional presidents was presented at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and wholeheartedly endorsed by the entire General Body.

“We extend our full support and cooperation to Mr Sethi in his tireless efforts to revive cricket in Pakistan. He has singularly set up the PSL as the first international brand of Pakistan and brought international cricket home to tens of millions of fans. Our vote of confidence in him is unqualified; we support his vision for a new and exciting era of cricket that will bring glory to our cricket,” reads the statement made by the elected presidents of regional cricket associations.

Meanwhile, the AGM 2018 accepted the request by Gawadar Cricket Association for grant of Associate Membership.

During the meeting, chairman PCB announced a special grant of Rs50 million for the promotion of the game in remote areas across the country.

Besides this, according to the PCB, annual expenditure on Regional and District cricket has been increased by Rs100 million. In the last fiscal year 2017-2018, Rs300 million was allocated for the same purpose.

Earlier, in his address to the general body members, Najam Sethi spoke at length about the progress made by the Board in the first year of his three year tenure.

He added that since taking over he has made a real effort of bringing a professional change and approach at PCB. He added that the revival of international cricket has already been a huge success in Lahore and Karachi.

“The series of matches include three World XI games, T20 against Sri Lanka, three T20s against the West Indies and three PSL matches including the grand final in Karachi last March which have brought real joy to the cricket fans in the country,” he said.

Sethi also spoke about the growth of the PSL into a world-class event that can compete with the very best in the shortest format.

“The media values of all six franchises and PSL assets were going up phenomenally with the cumulative media value of the PSL league now estimated at Rs3 billion,” the chairman PCB highlighted during the meeting.

“PCB will be starting the bidding process for the next three-year cycle and record-breaking numbers are expected as indicated by Nielsen Sports who are rated amongst the top analysis firms in the sporting world,” he hoped.